Eating Nuts Tied to Reduced CVD Incidence, Death in T2DM Patients

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Higher consumption of nuts, especially tree nuts, is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Feb. 19 in Circulation Research.

Gang Liu, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues examined intake of total and specific types of nuts in relation to subsequent risk for CVD, including coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a prospective analysis. The analysis included 16,217 men and women with type 2 diabetes at baseline or diagnosed during follow-up.

The researchers found that higher total nut consumption correlated with a reduced risk for CVD incidence and mortality. Compared with those who consumed less than one serving of nuts per month, participants who consumed five or more servings of total nuts per week had multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios of 0.83, 0.80, 0.66, and 0.69 for total CVD incidence, CHD incidence, CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality, respectively. There was no significant correlation observed for total nut consumption with risk for stroke incidence or cancer mortality. Higher tree nut consumption correlated with a reduced risk for total CVD, CHD incidence, and mortality due to CVD, cancer, and all causes; peanut consumption correlated with lower all-cause mortality only.

“These data provide novel evidence that supports the recommendation of incorporating nuts into healthy dietary patterns for the prevention of CVD complications and premature deaths among individuals with diabetes,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the California Walnut Commission.

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